After weeks of derision and divisiveness over the system, RuneScape’s new Hero Pass is heading to an early grave.
Jagex announced that it would be permanently ending the current battle pass once the current season ends on December 4th, deeming the monetization push a “misstep.” The Hero Pass debuted in early September to fierce criticism and pushback by the RuneScape community for being blatantly pay-to-win. Only days after it arrived, the studio was already calling it a mistake and looking to tweak it with community feedback.
However, now it appears that the studio is stepping back from the Hero Pass altogether: “We are ending Hero Pass with its first iteration: Underworld. For those who invested time or money into the Hero Pass, it will run its course until the end date of December 4th. We do still believe that RuneScape could benefit from a system to better reward your time in Gielinor (approached differently, of course). If we do explore a new reward system, the message is clear — we need to involve players from the outset. We would also ensure this new reward system has no paid disparity.”
Ironically, Jagex initially told players who were calling for the removal of the Hero Pass that their request would be “ignored.”
